Celtic and Old English Saints 16 January =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Fursey of Burgh Castle * St. Dunchaid O'Braoin of Clonmacnoise * St. Honoratus of Arles =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Fursey of East Anglia and Lagny Abbot of Burgh Castle, and Peronne Monastery, France -------------------------------------------- Born Island of Inisquin(?), Lough Corri, Ireland; died in France c. 648. After Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 23), Fursey is perhaps the best known of the Irish monastic missionaries abroad in the earlier middle ages. Born of noble parents, Saint Fursey left home to build a monastery at Rathmat (probably Killursa), attracted throngs of disciples, and then after a time at home began preaching. Twelve years later, sometime after 630, with his brothers SS. Foillan (f.d. October 31) and Ultan (f.d. May 2), he travelled to East Anglia (England) as a "pilgrim for Christ," and was welcomed by King Saint Sigebert (f.d. September 27) of the East Angles, who was encouraging the work of Saint Felix of Dunwich (f.d. March 8) at just this time. Sigebert gave them the old fortress of Cnobheresburg (Burgh Castle, Suffolk) and its adjacent lands for a monastery. Fursey, therefore, established a monastery on this land, and ministered from there for about ten years. About 642, on the death of Sigebert in battle against King Penda of Mercia, Fursey left on a pilgrimage to Rome. He never returned. Instead he moved on to Gaul, where he was given land by Mayor Erchinoald of Neustria (into whose household Saint Bathildis (f.d. January 30) had recently been sold). There Fursey founded a monastery at Lagny-sur-Marne, near Paris, c. 644. Fursey died at Mezerolles (Somme) while on a journey, and was buried at Peronne (Picardy), where his tomb became a place of pilgrimage and the monastery there an Irish centre. Saint Bede (f.d. May 25) wrote more about Fursey than any other Irish missionary, except Saint Aidan (f.d. August 31). Fursey, says Bede, was 'renowned for his words and works, outstanding in goodness,' and it is Bede who relates the visions of the unseen world of spirits, good and evil, which account for much of Fursey's fame. From time to time he would fall into a trance-like state for a considerable period, during which he would see such things as the fires of falsehood, covetousness, discord, and injustice lying in wait to consume the world. He also had a vision of the afterlife, which Bede recounts--one of the earliest such. Together with those of the English Drithelm (f.d. August 17) (also recorded by Bede), Saint Fursey's visions had considerable influence in the religious thought of western Europe in the later middle ages, notably as expressed in Dante's "Divine Comedy". Fursey impressed everyone that met him. So many miracles were attributed to him in his own lifetime that he should be counted among the greatest of saints. He initiated his mission in France by restoring to life the son of a local nobleman, Count Haymon, who begged him to build his monastery on the nobleman's land. The saint declined, but this is the very site on which he died. Fursey's sanctity was a topic of conversation and came to the attention of French kings and nobles, who vied with each other to attract him to their territory, even after his death. Count Haymon intended to inter Fursey in Mezerolles, but the Chancellor of Peronne, Erchinoald, sent a royal guard to seize the remains. His holy body lay in a portico for four years, awaiting the completion of a magnificent new church to receive him. Bede records "concerning the incorruption of his body, we have briefly taken notice so that the sublime character of this man may be better known to the readers." In 654, Fursey's relics were translated to a shrine "in the shape of a little house," supposedly made by Saint Eligius (f.d. December 1). They were translated again in 1056. King Louis in 1256 declared his desire to be present for the retranslation of his remains to a new shrine at Peronne. On his return from a crusade, Louis went straight to Peronne, where he placed his own seal on the sepulchre. Most of the relics remained until the French Revolution; a head reliquary survived even the Prussian bombing of 1870. French, Irish, and English calendars (especially at Canterbury, which claimed his head relics) attest to his cultus. (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Montague). In art Saint Fursey is portrayed as an abbot raising from the dead a youth, son of a nobleman. He may also by shown in ecstasy (Roeder). The figure of Fursey is now carried on the banner of the city of Peronne (Montague). Troparion of St Fursey of Burgh Castle tone 5 Establishing thy monastery in a Roman fortress thou didst teach men that the Orthodox Faith is a true bastion/ against the onslaughts of every evil force, O Father Fursey./ Wherefore pray to God for us/ that we may all be bastions of the Faith/ standing firm against the rising tide of falsehood,/ that our souls may be saved. Kontakion of St Fursey tone 4 Thou didst need the walls of stone/ to defend the Faith against its pagan enemies, O Father Fursey,/ but pray for us that we may have a spiritual wall around us/ to defend the Faith against its enemies./ Following thee and praising thy eternal memory,/ we stand firm against every error, ever singing:/ Rejoice, beloved of God, our Father Fursey. Icon of St. Fursey: http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Fursey.htm##1 Stained Glass: http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/history/people/saints/fursey.shtm St. Dunchaid O'Braoin, Abbot of Clonmacnoise ------------------------------------------------ Born in Westmeath; died at Armagh, 988. Saint Dunchaid was an anchorite until 969, when he was chosen abbot of Clonmacnoise Monastery. In his old age he retired to Armagh, where he died (Benedictines). St. Honoratus (Honore) of Arles, Bishop ------------------------------------------------ Born in Treves (Trier), Germany, (or Lorraine, France), c. 350; died at Arles, France, 429. Saint Honoratus was born into a Gallo-Roman family of consular rank. He was well-versed in the liberal arts. He converted from paganism to Christianity in his youth and won his older brother, Venantius, to Christ. The two brothers desired to forsake the world entirely; but their father put continual temptations in their way. Finally, they secured the services of Saint Caprasius (f.d. June 1), a holy hermit, who acted as their instructor in the ways of holiness. The three sailed from Marseilles to Greece, intending to live there in some unknown desert and learn more about monasticism. Venantius died at Modon; Honoratus was also ill. He and his mentor were forced to return home via Rome. He intended to live the life of a hermit, but God had other plans for him. At first he lived as one near Frejus. Two small islands were just off the coast near Cannes: a larger one called Lero (now St. Margaret's); the other, smaller and further out called Lerins (now Saint-Honorat). Around 410 (400?), he established himself on this smaller desert island, where he was joined by SS. Lupus of Troyes (f.d. July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (f.d. November 16), and Hilary of Arles (f.d. May 5), as well as others. This was the beginning of the celebrated monastery of Lerins, whose history lasted for nearly 1,400 years. Some of the monks lived in community; others were anchorites. The Rule was that of Saint Pachomius (f.d. May 9). About 426-427, he was forced to become archbishop of the important see of Arles. However, he labours in the field he did not want lasted less than three years. Honoratus died exhausted by his austerities and apostolic labours in 429. His relative Hilary, who succeeded him as bishop of Arles, wrote a panegyric of Saint Honoratus that speaks of the trouble taken by the saint to ensure that no one in this island community should be dispirited, overworked, or idle; and 'it is astonishing how much work he got through himself, of poor health as he was.' Many visitors found their way to the island (including Saint John Cassian), and no one left it 'without a perfectly carefree mind.' Honoratus is one of those blessedly joyful saints (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Hoare, Walsh). Lerin Islands (Iles des Lerins) - Directly off the shore of Cannes are the Iles de Lerins. These islands mirror the city's history and there is a classic coastal fortress designed by Vauban on the Ile Sainte-Marguerite with its Maritime Museum and where the mysterious "Man in the Iron Mask" and Marshal Bazaine were imprisoned. The Ile Saint-Honorat has a Mediterranean coastal forest of native pine, eucalyptus and cypress trees and a fortified abbey based in the monastery founded by Saint Honoratus at the end of the 4th Century, which graduated St. Patrick, St. Hilaire, and St. Cezaire, among others. Saint Honoratus is generally portrayed as driving serpents from the island of Lerins, whose monastery he founded. He is shown at times (1) as a bishop over the island of Lerins with a phoenix below, or (2) drawing water from a rock with his mitre near him (Roeder). Icon of St. Honoratus (Honorine): In the Icons Folder of [celt-saints] http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Honoratus.htm ******************************** Suppliers of Icons of Celtic Saints for the church or the prayer corner at home. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/message/2875 ********************************* Lives kindly supplied by: For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm An Alphabetical Index of the Saints of the West http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/saintsa.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
